Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Bulldog Classic
Bulldogs Undefeated After First Day of Bulldog Classic
10/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Oct. 13, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. - Senior Charles Irie dominated during his first two singles matches and the rest of the Bulldogs stayed undefeated during the first day of the 2006 Bulldog Classic, Friday at the Wathen Tennis Center. Irie was nearly flawless, beating Santa Clara's Tommy Hicks 6-1, 6-0 in the round of 32 and Pacific's Moritz Starke 6-0, 6-1 in the round of 16.
"It's always a good day when you don't lose a match," said head coach Jay Udwadia. "The competition will be tougher tomorrow as we get deeper in the tournament, so we'll need some guys to step up."
Sophomore Rudolf Siwy and freshman Mirko Zapletal also won in Flight A, the tournament's top main draw. Siwy, Flight A's four-seed, looked impressive in his season debut. After a first round bye, Siwy beat Michael Ricks of Washington in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.
Zapletal showed tremendous endurance in both of his first day matches. In the round of 32, Zapletal defeated San Diego's Jonas Mouly in three sets, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1. Then in the round of 16, he won a three-set thriller over USC's Gary Sacks, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4).
"Mirko showed a lot of determination today," Udwadia said. "All of our freshmen really performed well."
Freshman Tejesvi Veerepalli made his Fresno State debut with straight set victory over Daniel Elefant of UC Davis in Flight B's round of 16. Veerepalli also combined with Irie for a 8-4 doubles victory over Foy and Perez of Sacramento State in the round of 16.
Sophomore Greg Jackson was solid in his first round match, defeating UC Davis' Thomas McGee in straight sets. He and freshman Taylor Leiby were victorious in their first round doubles match, downing Kelly and Oliphant of Pacific 8-6.
Singles matches in the Flight A and B bracket will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. Flight C singles will get started at approximately 9:30 a.m. Admission is free.
Players Mentioned
